The History of Dating

History of Dating From Colonial Times to Today Colonial Times - 1830 • Marriage was the Point of Courtship • Singleness was a sign of laziness • Single men were harassed, fined or run out of town • Love developed after the marriage, as the natural outgrowth of the commitment of marriage • Young people got together in mixed groups, couples would be alone walking, riding or in the parlor. • Sexual passion was to be contained. •Premarital pregnancy was seen as a sign of weakness 1830 - 1880 • The idea of separate spheres for Men & Women begins to take place • Women are seen as virtuous and angelic; the moral superior to the man • Courtship becomes more formal, Romantic love becomes the only acceptable reason for marriage • Women would test men to see if they were committed to providing a home and life for them • The “immorality” of men becomes a major social problem • A woman‟s modesty is all that could control a man‟s “animal passions” • Love was supposed to be effortless, a strong magnet pulling the couple together • Courtship becomes much more formal for the upper classes, mostly done in the girl‟s home • Lower classes did not have room in their homes so they courted in public settings • Going somewhere became the activity of courtship, and the systems of control on courtship was loosened • This move to Public Courting saw less time to get to know each other, but yet sexual expression increased 1880 - 1920 Pickn on Love 1920 - 1945 • By 1920 “dating” was an informal, unchaperoned, male-female interaction with no specific commitment • Rules were established by the peer group, not the community • Factors in the rise of the dating include: the recognition of the adolescent stage, the rise of the city culture, liberation of women, car ownership and motion pictures. • Since dating meant “going out” the activity now required money. This meant that the balance of power shifted from the woman to the man. • Dating and Courtship are seperated now, Dating focuses on success and increasing one‟s popularity, and Courtship is about finding a mate. • The 1920s represented a period of sexual and social revolution unmatched till the 1960's 1945 - 1950 • The marrying age drops and in turn so does the dating age. • Younger teens would meet in groups, then pair off with each other. •„Going Steady' became popular with new rituals like class rings, pins, telephone calls, dates each week, and greater sexual intimacy. • Parents found early marriage to be a moral way to deal with youth sexuality • The post WWII passive woman‟s role brought frailty and submissiveness to dating in order to secure a man‟s right to be dominate 1950 - 1960 • The “restricted” role of wife and mother led many young women to postpone marriage to explore college and career. • Marriage and childbirth were seen as "oppression and exploitation" of women. • The generation gap led young people to define themselves as different from their parents. • This attitude led to an increasingly liberal view of sexuality. 1960 - 2000 • 1965 brought us the dating game • 70’s brought us “free love” or sex with no commitment • 80’s Movies like “Dirty Dancing” & “Breakfast Club” seemed to give us a look into the teen world • 90’s brought us online dating through email, speed dating and tv drama’s like Beverly Hills 90210 • Today teens meet new people all the time online, some even are “cyber dating” never met the person but still they claim a committed relationship.